The present invention relates to a circuit package and, more particularly, to a leadless circuit package for supporting flat circuit elements such as integrated circuit chips and an electrical connector for receiving such package.
Leadless integrated circuit packages are commonly used for mounting integrated circuits on printed circuit boards, computer backpanels, and the like, and have signicant advantages over conventional dual in-line packages (DIP) and single in-line packages (SIP) in the manufacture of large electronic systems, such as computers. If, during the assembly of integrated circuits on a computer backpanel, a defect is discovered in one of the integrated circuits, the leadless package having the defective integrated circuit is simply removed from its electrical connector and replaced with a new package. This eliminates both the problem of removing packages having soldered leads or pins and the potential for bending or breaking such pins when removed.
An integrated circuit package includes a support disc with an integrated circuit chip mounted on it. In present systems the integrated circuit packages generally are of a square or rectangular configuration. The integrated circuit package is inserted into a plastic socket that has a metal spring-loaded lid. In this manner, the integrated circuit package is suspended between a plurality of spring-loaded socket contact pins and the metal spring-loaded lid. The purpose of the lid is simply to hold the integrated circuit package down against the socket contact pins. In such systems the lid is often difficult to close and in some cases the lid can appear to be closed when it in fact is not. Further, since the lid is metal, care must be taken in the design and maintenance of the system to avoid contact between the lid and adjacent circuitry.